A POPULAR teacher has retired after more than a decade at an East Lancashire school.

St Augustine’s RC High School’s head of art, Graham Mansfield has left the Billington school after 21 years.

Mr Mansfield was inundated with letters of appreciation and thank you cards from past and present pupils, parents and colleagues.

And he was paid a visit by one of his former pupils, Isobel Peachey, now a successful artist who recently became the youngest woman to paint an official portrait of the Queen .

The former Marks and Spencer fashion designer joined St Augustine's in 1991 and earlier this year led his department through a successful Ofsted subject inspection.

Headteacher, Anthony McNamara, said: "Graham Mansfield has taught thousands of pupils over the years and many will remember him as the man who helped them to achieve a great result at GCSE.

“He has been a strong and constant presence in our school and we will miss him greatly.

“We wish him a long and happy retirement and we hope that he will keep in contact with us in the future.”